Newari art

I'm normally not very enthusiastic about non-culinary art. It's simple: I'm not an artsy person (too many black turtle-neck sweatered people uttering how "profound" or "significant" a "piece" is).

I'm also not in agreement with the Lonely Planet brigade of do-goody travellers who insist we always buy nothing but locally produced and sourced handicrafts with no environmental impact and only from locally-run shops (there is a limit to how much handicrafts you can cram into your place, and I'm sure the local economies will be happy to take your moeny also for other goods and services). On that foundation, I'm finding that it is still possible to build a solid appreciation for local skills in many areas.

Where I grew up, wood-carving conjures up images of traditionally painted woodwork desperately trying to regain some of the magic of Viking-age wood-art, often combined with folk-dancing. But what if there is a place where woodwork traditions have been handed down from generation to generation, a place where the woodworking is not merely for useability - but for sheer beauty? That place could very well be here in Nepal, where a minority called Newaris are famed for their wood-carving skills. The two images are from a Hindu-temple under construction nearby. The carvings are fresh and do not suffer when compared to much older specimens. This is the kind of local art I'd be happy to have one or two fantastic pieces (!) of, and finding these are now on my to-do list!